Wednesday's Ask the Experts: Bidding a food market

Wednesday''s Ask the Experts question from a cleaning professional on theInternational Custodial Advisors Network(ICAN)"Ask the Experts"page:I was called to look at a Harris Teeter food market to be stripped and refinished with three coats of finish. Can you give me some info on how I would bid 38,150 square feet of floor?

The answer:

Your pricing will depend on your production rates and those will depend on what equipment and staff you have to work with.

Do you have large area stripping and wet vacuuming equipment and comparable finish laying devices? Do you have hours when you can work without interruption? Do you have help?

This is a large floor in a supermarket that may be open 24/7. Without a high production setup, your time and price for this work will be too high to get you the job.

Will the job lead to more work so that an initial purchase of equipment will be worth ... — Lynn E. Krafft, ICAN/ATEX associate editor, lekrafft@juno.com